A Question Unasked
by grumkinsorsnarks
Summary: Both Dean and Seamus want to have a magical Yule Ball. Only question is; with who?


Dean's palms were sweaty and his heart was thudding violently against his tried with all his might to concentrate fully on the potions essay he was working on; but trying to remember what ashwinder eggs were and what their uses were was much less interesting than watching Seamus and Lavender in the corner. The common room was deserted, with only their whisperings and the crackle of the fireplace filling the room. Dean gulped, once again glancing at them. Lavender was twisting a strand of her long hair around her finger, batting her eyelashes at Seamus, who looked to be in his right element. Lavender blushed and giggled at something Seamus said and Dean cursed under his breathe for sitting too far away to hear. Seamus was clearly enjoying the attention he was getting. When Lavender finally left for the girls' dormitory; with a slight skip in her steps, Seamus made his way towards Dean. He flopped down on the arm chair opposite Dean and threw his legs up on the table, with his hands behind his neck and looking utterly content with himself. Dean steadied his breath and asked, as casually as he possibly could.

"Have you asked someone to the yule ball yet?" He didn't dare look up at Seamus. Instead he fixed his eyes on the piece of parchment in front of him and tried to look as though he was concentrating really hard on it. He held his breathe for the answer; his mind racing. _What if?_

"Yeah well I'm going with Lavender." Dean dropped his quill, splattering ink all over the parchment. He could feel his heart sinking, waves of disappointment crashing over him.

"You what?" As hard as he tried to conceal it, Dean's voice was quivering with anger. It was as if realization had just hit him. He'd known it from the very start. Yet he'd hoped. There had been a tiny part of him, buried deep inside, that insisted that it _wasn't_ impossible. Why couldn't he go with Seamus? But now, the mere fact that he'd had the desire to go with Seamus disgusted Dean more than he could imagine. Of course they couldn't go together. How could he have been so stupid?

"What's gotten into you?" Seamus asked, completely baffled at Dean's tone of voice.

"I just thought-" Dean started but his voice drifted off as the words caught in his throat._ I just thought nothing._

"Thought what?"

"I don't have anyone to go with." He mumbled instead, sinking lower into his chair.

"Well that's your fault, innit?" Seamus laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Y'could've said yes to any one of those girls who've been prancing after you." He continued at the questioning look from Dean. "Exactly _how_ many girls've asked you to go with them to the ball, again?"

"I don't keep count if that's what you think." Dean muttered. "Those girls don't even know me, I don't get why they'd even _want_ to go with me."

"No you don't get it do you." Seamus was standing up now, his eyes suddenly flashing dangerously but his voice strangely soft. "You don't _see_ why they'd want to go with you. You don't _see_ yourself the way girls do." _The way I do._ Seamus wanted to say. Every particle in his body yearned to say those words, but he knew he couldn't. Dean was his _friend_ and Seamus refused to see him in any other way. Dean was his best friend and Seamus was determined not to be the one to ruin their friendship with ill fitted words, with feelings he knew would never be answered. Yet sometimes Seamus seemed unable to not take a few seconds to just appreciate his friend. To just _look_ at the way his warm eyes glowed in his bright face. The way his lips curled when he was concentrating. The way he scratched the back of his neck when he was stressed. Seamus shook his head, ridding himself of his thoughts and turned, heading towards the dormitory.

"Ron has a sister." Dean stated in a monotonic tone. Seamus turned at the spot; his eyes finding Dean's. For the briefest of moments, Seamus though he could see the plea in Dean's eyes; a desperate attempt to keep Seamus there, to ask him what he really wanted to ask; what they both wanted but were to afraid to even hope for. But it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared and Dean turned to look at the last streaks of light from the fireplace, casting long arms after Seamus.

"Ginny's going with Neville." Seamus muttered before racing up the steps and throwing himself on his bed, out of breath and with his mind whirring with thoughts.


End file.
